Pope Leo XIV: "We cannot believe in Jesus and promote war"

Pope Leo XIV has launched a new appeal for peace and solidarity with migrants, stating that supporting war is incompatible with Christian values, in a message interpreted by the international press as an indirect criticism of the administration of US President Donald Trump, reports AFP. In the homily delivered at the Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona, in the presence of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, the Sovereign Pontiff declared that "we cannot believe in Jesus and promote war". "We cannot believe in Jesus and abandon those who suffer, those who cry, those who flee from misery", the Pope said, in a reference considered by observers to be an allusion to the issue of migration.

• Repeated criticism of the concept of "just war"

According to AFP, Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly expressed his opposition to the justification of armed conflicts through the theory of "just war". At the end of May, the Sovereign Pontiff considered that this doctrine, invoked including by American officials in the context of military operations against Iran, is "too often used to justify any war", admitting only the right to self-defense "in the strictest sense".

The Trump administration has repeatedly claimed that military intervention against Iran was necessary to prevent the development of nuclear weapons by the Islamic Republic.

• Exchange of lines with Donald Trump and JD Vance

Relations between the new Sovereign Pontiff and the American president have deteriorated in recent months. According to AFP, Donald Trump described Pope Leo XIV as "weak" in the face of crime and "incompetent" in matters of foreign policy. In response, the Pope declared that he had a "moral duty” to speak out against the war and reaffirmed the Catholic Church's traditional position on peace. US Vice President JD Vance, a convert to Catholicism, also invoked the "just war” theory and urged the Pontiff to exercise "prudence” in approaching theological issues.

• An American Pope, a Critic of Wars and Defender of Migrants

The first American pope in history has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of the conflicts in the Middle East and continues the line of his predecessor, Pope Francis, in defending the rights of migrants and refugees. According to AFP, Leo XIV described Donald Trump's threat to destroy Iran as "truly unacceptable" and urged American citizens to ask their representatives in Congress to promote peace and reject war. For his part, the American president said in an interview with a conservative podcast that he was "not a big fan" of Pope Leo XIV and accused him of considering it acceptable for Iran to possess nuclear weapons. The Pontiff rejected these accusations and reaffirmed the Catholic Church's historical position on nuclear weapons. "If someone wants to criticize me for preaching the Gospel, let them do so sincerely. The Church has opposed all nuclear weapons for years, there is no doubt about that," the Pope said.

• Tensions Between the Vatican and the White House

Pope Leo XIV's comments highlight the differences in vision between the Vatican and the current US administration regarding the use of military force, migration and the role of diplomacy in managing international crises. The positions expressed by the Pontiff are part of the recent tradition of the Catholic Church, which advocates for diplomatic solutions, nuclear disarmament and the protection of people affected by conflict and poverty.